The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has submitted a motion of no confidence in Chief Constable Simon Byrne to the Policing Board. It follows Mr Byrne’s refusal to resign following an emergency meeting of the board on Thursday. Pressure has been mounting on Mr Byrne after a number of recent controversies. Northern Ireland’s Police Federation and a union for civilian staff already said they were considering holding votes of no confidence in Mr Byrne.
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said on Friday that “confidence in the chief constable has been eroded” among the public and serving PSNI officers and staff. “In light of that, we believe that a change of leadership is required.” The motion must be voted on within 10 days of being submitted. The Ulster Unionists and Traditional Unionist Voice have already called for Mr Byrne’s resignation, while other political parties have raised questions for the PSNI leadership.
‘I’m not resigning’
It comes after the High Court ruled on Tuesday that two junior officers within the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) were unlawfully disciplined for an arrest made at a Troubles commemoration event. The judge said they had been disciplined to allay a threat that Sinn Féin could withdraw its support for policing, but Sinn Féin insisted that there was no such threat. Mr Byrne said he was considering an appeal against the ruling, adding: “I’m not resigning.”
It came weeks after staff expressed concern for their safety following a number of data breaches, including one which saw information about 10,000 officer and civilian staff mistakenly released in a response to a Freedom of Information request. Simon Byrne is fast running out of friends in Northern Ireland – relationships that he needs to remain in the office of chief constable now seem to be damaged beyond repair. Not just with the rank-and-file police officers on the ground, as evidenced by the Police Federation reaction, but also the relationships at the very heart of leadership of the PSNI here in Northern Ireland.
It was pretty clear at Thursday’s Policing Board meeting both from the chief constable and his number two, Mark Hamilton, that there is a fracture now of relationship between the two men. And I think that is what surprised many of those Policing Board members and promoted the DUP to push ahead with tabling a vote of no confidence to see if members – independent members, for instance – are now of the same thinking as the DUP that Mr Byrne can no longer remain in office.
Sir Jeffrey said the chief constable had cancelled a planned meeting with his party on Friday afternoon. “Had the meeting gone ahead, we would have had the opportunity to inform him of our desire for change and intention to submit to the Policing Board a motion to be debated at the earliest opportunity,” he said. He added that “allowing the issue to drift will only cause greater problems for public confidence and for the PSNI as an organisation”. DUP MLA and Policing Board member Trevor Clarke said there was “an opportunity now for other members of the Policing Board to join us and try and look for a new chief constable who can lead the organisation and bring it from the position it’s currently in”.
‘Disbelief and anger’
Earlier, the chair of the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said he was “disgusted, disillusioned and extremely angry” by the leadership of the chief constable. Liam Kelly said his members had expressed “disbelief and anger at the hugely disappointing and unexpected statement from the chief constable” regarding the appeal.
Mr Kelly said that the chief constable had previously said he accepted Tuesday’s High Court ruling. “If he does appeal, we expect he will use the PSNI budget which is already stretched to breaking point,” he said. “This has infuriated and antagonised the rank-and-file further and once again the two officers at the centre of the case are being treated disdainfully. “It is hugely damaging to officer morale and confidence and has to be condemned.” The federation will hold an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday and said a confidence vote in the chief constable “may or may not take place”.
‘One disaster after another’
Tracey Godfrey, from the trade union Nipsa, which represents civilian PSNI staff, said she expects its members will want to hold a vote of no confidence in the chief constable when it meets on Thursday. “I think people have just come to the end of the road with how the organisation is being treated and they’ve just had enough,” she said “It’s been one disaster after another.” The Superintendents’ Association of Northern Ireland also said it will hold a meeting next week to consider its next steps. Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie said the chief constable should step down and “controlled change” was needed at the top of the organisation.
There needs to be change and Simon and his leadership team – and I’ve got to say that includes the deputy chief constable (Mark Hamilton) – are not in the best position to affect that change at this moment in time,” Mr Beattie said. “What is absolutely clear is that it seems to me that all confidence in the leadership of the police service in Northern Ireland has been lost or eroded to such a state where it can’t be regained.” He said it was not until five-and-a-half hours into Thursday’s meeting of the Policing Board that Mr Byrne indicated he was considering appealing the court ruling.
‘A mistake’
However, PSNI Ch Insp Andy George, president of the National Black Police Association, said he believed Mr Byrne should remain as chief constable. “None of the things that we’ve seen play out with the data breach and others, whilst the chief constable’s ultimately responsible for it, it isn’t necessarily him that has been the decision maker in some of this – he can’t be over absolutely everything,” he told BBC News NI’s Evening Extra on Friday. “There has been some resistance to what he’s tried to progress and some of the initiatives he’s brought in, but for us we completely support him and we think getting rid of him now would be a mistake.”
